Inkjet printers use a series of nozzles to spray drops of ink directly on a substrate. The print head, which contains the series of nozzles, is the core of an inkjet printer. Inks and other jettable fluids are typically packaged in cartridges and either delivered to the print head or in other printers include the print head itself.
Because the cost of replacement cartridges is quite high, some are constructed for refill. This is typically done by injecting an ink into the empty cartridge using a syringe-like device then replacing the cartridge into its proper slot in the printer. However, this requires stopping the printer, removing the cartridge, reloading the cartridge with ink, replacing the cartridge, and restarting the printing process. Once stopped, often the entire page must be reprinted. Since each printer typically has at least four cartridges (magenta, yellow, cyan, black) this challenge is increased when a plurality of print cartridges require refilling within the same printer or across multiple printers. Therefore there remains a need for new systems for supplying jettable fluids to inkjet printers that reduce disruptions during the printing process.